RYAN KANE: Plymouth fighter captures first victory

Monday

Apr 14, 2014 at 12:01 AMJun 13, 2014 at 4:04 PM

Eating a vicious right hand, Ryan Kane fell backwards and crashed hard into the cage. His opponent, 31-year-old Dan Krall of Battlecrew, began uncorking his body in anticipation of finishing the 18-year-old Plymouth native.

His opponent, 31-year-old Dan Krall of Battlecrew, began uncorking his body in anticipation of finishing the 18-year-old Plymouth native.

The hometown crowd, which had been standing on its feet as Kane dominated the opening two rounds, suddenly fell silent as an audible gasp swept across Memorial Hall in the early moments of the third round. Fear had paralyzed the crowd, but not their hero.

The octagon siding had rejected his fall.

Bending his knees, Kane crouched low and fired forward with a right hand that shocked the approaching Krall and swung momentum back to where it had began. Pushing his opponent into the cage, the 125-pound amateur raised his hand to the crowd and extended a “hang loose” sign to friends and family, letting them know he was alright.

“They call me Razzle-Dazzle,” he said with a smile. “I like to be a little flashy out there sometimes. But I also wanted to let everyone know I was alright.”

Kane had taken his opponent’s best shot and it wasn’t enough to knock him out.

He responded with a takedown and spent the final 1:30 of the round gaining position and landing crucial strikes that erased the memory of Krall’s big right.

When the judges ruled unanimously in favor of Kane, the building erupted and his team from Cape Cod Fighting Alliance (CCFA) rushed into the middle of the ring to celebrate the youngster’s first career win. Honoring the moment, they surprised him with his jiu-jitsu purple belt, leaving Kane overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment.

“I didn’t know they were going to give me the purple belt tonight; they surprised me,” he said, wiping away tears. “A lot of guys get their blue belt and stop there. But this sport has meant so much to me. I’ve put so much time and energy into it. I was very proud to get it.”

Watching the match from the rafters, Wareham pro Pat Schultz was impressed by what he saw out of his young pupil.

“Ryan puts the time in,” said Schultz, the owner of CCFA. “And he’s been doing that for a couple years now. He loves it and that’s how you get better at this game. You really have to enjoy it.”

Just a teenager, Kane is projected to have a very bright future in mixed martial arts. He started at a young age, medaling at the World Pankration Championships in 2011 and 2012. Pankration rules are similar to MMA, except punches to the head are illegal. But now that he’s made the leap, encountering such jaw-altering sledgehammers and living to tell about it seem to be the nature of the business.

“I can take a hit,” Kane said. “I’m the smallest guy in the gym (at CCFA) so I’m used to going up against guys who are bigger than me and that happens with them all the time. But it doesn’t scare me. If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I’m never going to quit. It’s not in my mentality. I’ll pass out or break a bone before I tap out.”

Schultz and Kane’s coach, Mike Gresh, would prefer to see one of their star prodigy’s stay in one piece.

“He’s young right now,” Schultz said. “Mentally, I think he’s surrounded himself with the right resources. He trains in a lot of different aspects of the game and he’s maturing as a fighter. He’s got the physical talent. As he starts to learn to utilize his brain a bit more, he’ll be a name and a powerhouse for years to come.”